Philippines hails rebel deal, but still ‘contentious’ issues

‘NOT SIMPLE’:：Aquino said the next round of talks with the MILF would be extremely difficult, as they involve convincing fighters to surrender arms

AFP, MANILA

Tue, Dec 10, 2013 - Page 6

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III yesterday hailed a power-sharing deal with Muslim rebels, saying a final accord to end the decades-long rebellion was within reach, but warned that “contentious” issues remained.

The crucial power sharing annex signed in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday had been considered highly contentious, with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels seeking greater authority over a proposed autonomous region in the south, which will cover Muslim-dominated regions of the mainly Catholic archipelago.

However, Aquino cautioned that the next round of negotiations could be even more difficult as it involves convincing MILF’s 12,000 fighters to hand over their weapons and return to mainstream society.

“This is not going to be simple because here we would have to demonstrate our full trust in each other,” Aquino told reporters. “When we talk of normalization, this will mean their return to the folds of the law, and one aspect is the safeguarding of their arms.”

Persuading the rebels to give up their weapons will be a “heavy and contentious” issue, he added.

Yet Aquino said he was optimistic that Sunday’s agreement would accelerate the peace process.

The MILF has waged a rebellion since the 1970s, and the insurgency has left about 150,000 people dead and parts of the southern Philippines mired in deep poverty and instability.

Apart from the MILF, many other armed groups operate in the south, including former rebels who had resorted to banditry and terrorism.

Sunday’s power sharing annex had been one of four preliminary accords that had to be completed before a final peace deal could be signed.

Two other annexes on transitional arrangements and sharing of revenues were signed earlier this year. The fourth and last annex on normalization will include disarming of MILF guerrillas.

Aquino has promised to end the insurgency by the end of his six-year term in 2016, but other armed groups have violently opposed the talks.